The Future Is Now: Michaela Berglund of Terranet On How Their Technological Innovation Will Shake Up The Tech Scene
Be yourself fully. No matter what the industry, they need your skills, knowledge and personality. We often have prejudice on what is expected of us, based on history, culture and others but it’s not necessarily the right way to be. Focus on trusting yourself and doing what you do best.
As a part of our series about cutting edge technological breakthroughs I had the pleasure of interviewing Michaela Berglund.
Michaela Berglund has an extensive background working with startups and established companies around marketing strategy and communications. She is a communications specialist passionate about entrepreneurship and investments. Her drive is to combine business with doing good. She is currently leading the marketing for the exciting company Terranet and is the CEO of Feminvest with the vision to educate, challenge and inspire more female investors and entrepreneurs by giving them access to capital and financial advice.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
I have been involved in marketing for a number of years, but more recently made the transition to focus on technology. I am a value driven investor at heart and always seek exciting business opportunities via the stock market and career opportunities with companies who are invested in disrupting the future, so Terranet, an autonomous driving (AD) software company focused on comfort and safety, was an obvious choice. I was actually sitting in on a panel discussion on private equity and why female entrepreneurs don’t get the equivalent funding to men when I was asked to meet up with Terranet. I met with the CEO directly after the panel, and we hit it off.
After that, I did some work for Terranet and saw great opportunity for their technology itself, but also with an eye on shaping their messaging and positioning. It’s always exciting to join something at the beginning, and at the time, Terranet was in the process of making some big changes around the direction of the company and its offerings. So after doing some work for Terranet, I was intrigued by the chance to contribute to the company’s transformation and came on board full time.
I did some work for Terranet and thought both the positioning and the potential are great for the VoxelFlow technology. I also noticed the strategic pivot the company had made was not thoroughly picked up by the market so it was intriguing to contribute to that transition and positioning in the marketplace.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
A few years back, I was asked to take over and scale a small business. But more generally, I would say fearfully quitting a job is probably one of the most life and career altering decisions one can make and it is certainly a great way to help build one’s confidence. Commiting to make an active decision to choose the exact type of work you’ll be doing is liberating. That freedom changes everything, and once discovered, it will keep you on the right track.
Can you tell us about the cutting edge technological breakthroughs that you are working on? How do you think that will help people?
Terranet’s VoxelFlow™ is a solid-state system that will allow AD/ADAS vehicles to perceive the world in 3D voxels, a stark contrast to today’s 2D pixel-based vision systems that struggle to react quickly while simultaneously producing high quality imagery. Technology designed specifically with vehicles in mind, VoxelFlow’s™ low latency caters to object detection within 30–40 meters, it shortens the braking distance for the vehicle. On its way to becoming an industry-standard AD system, VoxelFlow™ will enhance existing radar, lidar, and camera systems that especially struggle in inclement weather.
What all of that really means is that Terranet will make the roads safer. Our first of its kind 3D tech offers both accuracy and low latency, something yet to be seen in AV system reaction times. By being able to differentiate between a moving child and a stable mailbox for example, Terranet can provide next-level vision perception, enabling vehicles to make the split second decisions that save lives.
How do you think this might change the world?
Terranet is on the forefront of automotive safety technology. According to the National Safety Council, this past year, there was a 24% spike in the roadway death rate despite a dramatic drop in miles driven. Further to the point, road traffic injuries are the leading cause of death for children and young adults aged 5–29 years and the eighth leading cause of deaths globally. Recognizing that 95% of all road accidents are caused by human error, autonomous vehicles can actually make the roadways safer than traditional means of driving. And Terranet is building the systems and software that can help get us to a world that is drastically safer for drivers, passengers and pedestrians.
Keeping “Black Mirror” in mind can you see any potential drawbacks about this technology that people should think more deeply about?
Regardless of whether or not vehicles incorporate Terranet’s VoxelFlow into their systems, the bigger threat is not setting standards and practices to ensure the safety of those on the roadway. With shows like Black Mirror, for example, consumers’ perceptions around autonomy can become skewed. As I said, 95% of all road accidents are caused by human error. In this case, not embracing autonomy and prioritizing roadway safety is one of the worst case scenarios.
Was there a “tipping point” that led you to this breakthrough? Can you tell us that story?
When I joined Terranet, the VoxelFlow technology was already in development. With that in mind, what really sold the technology to me was when I realized AV/ADAS systems would not only save the lives of people embracing autonomous driving functions, but also cut down on roadway fatalities altogether.
VoxelFlow has an incredible potential and I would say it’s a perfect storm, being able to develop a sensor technology that could revolutionize the car industry and move the industry forward to a fully autonomous future.
What do you need to lead this technology to widespread adoption?
When it comes to implementing VoxelFlow and ensuring an autonomous future, two of the most important factors are infrastructure and standardization.
President Biden’s focus on infrastructure is already paving the way for electronic vehicle success in the United States. As most, if not all, autonomous vehicles will be electrically powered, the U.S. is taking preliminary steps to allow for AV integration. Similarly, poor road maintenance is one of the most consistent challenges for driverless vehicles to overcome. As such, the country’s overall focus on infrastructure repair over the next four years will further enable autonomous vehicles to hit the roads.
The second factor to consider is standardization. This applies to standardization in both the technology itself and regulation across the United States and the rest of the world. Ultimately, over 1.35 million people around the world lose their lives to driving related accidents. With that in mind, we need to take industrial and scientific collaboration seriously if we want to ever reach a safer, autonomous future.
What have you been doing to publicize this idea? Have you been using any innovative marketing strategies?
When it comes to working with the automotive industry, Terranet considers both safety and comfort. As such, we’ve recently partnered with the innovative and Audi-backed startup holoride to work with them on enhancing their in vehicle extended reality (XR) experiences.
Through the partnership with holoride, Terranet’s VoxelFlow — originally designed to deliver ultra-fast data points to a vehicle — will instead send those data points to holoride-enabled smart devices and headsets, allowing the extended reality content to adjusts to the vehicle’s travel time and route, so that it’s perfectly in sync with the passenger’s journey. In leaning on the software capabilities of VoxelFlow, Terranet is able to decrease their go-to-market time, as well as expand to other verticals and access potential clients and collaborators.
Additionally, we’ve been really honored with some of the top tier guests we’ve had on our podcast series, The Terranet Podcast. From industry leaders like Larry Burns to executives from Ericsson and even a future episode scheduled with U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm. The podcast has allowed us to not only take a deep dive into more niche, nuanced conversations within the autonomous automotive industry, but also strengthen our connections with our peers.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
Sometimes I have been given more than I asked for in my career. I am so grateful I get to work with people, visions and companies I love, but even more the companies that see the potential in others, including myself. I remember a specific situation when an owner of a company asked how much I wanted to own as a CEO of that company. I said a percentage and he increased that ownership. In other words he literally gave me more than I asked for.
How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?
Throughout my career, I have been a strong advocate for both female investors and female entrepreneurs, hilightling the lack of access female founded companies have to funding and opportunities. I am fortunate to work closely with women who have a strong sense of financial ambition, and ambition is exactly what I want to focus on. As such, a big focus area of mine is working with the women around me to help build their confidence and ultimately their sense of financial agency and ambition.
Beyond that, Terranet’s mission is to make roadways safer for pedestrians and drivers alike. And as we continue to work on VoxelFlow, we are getting closer and closer to eliminating roadway accidents caused by human error, making the world a safer place.
What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why. (Please share a story or example for each.)
- Be yourself fully. No matter what the industry, they need your skills, knowledge and personality. We often have prejudice on what is expected of us, based on history, culture and others but it’s not necessarily the right way to be. Focus on trusting yourself and doing what you do best
- Insecurity is not a bad thing, it will help you grow confident in what you want to achieve.Take the time to challenge yourself to feel insecure and learn from it. It’s in uncomfortable situations you will grow.
- Do your foremost at all times. Hunger and ambition will lead you to great places. People see if you are ambitious or not and it triumphs past experience.
- Think outside the box, the best deals are initiated outside of the ordinary. I learn from what other people do that wasn’t expected or ordinary.
- Remember to stay focused on what you care about. To be value driven is actually a supplement that is strengthening your career path, and it will help you stick to a vision when times are more challenging. Find your inner drive and stick to it.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
I read a report from European Commission on the potential if female entrepreneurs got more funding. According to the report, it would increase 26% of global annual GDP and $160 trillion of human capital wealth. It surprises me we haven’t come further in the ways we ensure women are equally given the opportunity to take financial risk and that is something I will always stand up for. I am working with technology developed for the future of vehicles and more women in this industry will create wonders. I am confident.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
“You are responsible for your own decisions, emotions and ambitions. Use that to your own advantage.” I think agency is something extremely important, especially when it comes to women in business and tech. My career has consisted of many leaps and risks. Having that confidence that comes from knowing you are in control of your own life and future is essential to success in your career, but also general happiness throughout your life.
Some very well known VCs read this column. If you had 60 seconds to make a pitch to a VC, what would you say? He or she might just see this if we tag them 🙂
VoxelFlow provides the car with lightning-fast sensor technology so that the car understands what it has in front of it and acts accordingly — within three milliseconds. With a laser, three cameras and high-sensitivity 3D scanning, VoxelFlow responds ten times faster than today’s ADAS system and acts according to the prevailing situation. Smart, fast and accurate in real time.
How can our readers follow you on social media?
https://www.instagram.com/amichaelaberglund/
https://twitter.com/miberglund
https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelaberglund/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/terranet-ab/
Thank you so much for joining us. This was very inspirational.
The Future Is Now: Michaela Berglund of Terranet On How Their Technological Innovation Will Shake… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
